"The Third Blood Moon" Streaming Live via NASA (Lunar Eclipse)

On Saturday morning, April 4, 2015 not long before sunrise, the bright
full moon over North America should turn a lovely shade of celestial red
during a total lunar eclipse.

Due to its reddish color, a total eclipse of the moon is sometimes referred to as a blood moon.
In addition, in the 2010s the media started to associate the term
"blood moon" with the four full moons of a lunar tetrad, especially the
2014-2015 tetrad coinciding with the feasts of Passover and Tabernacles.
A lunar tetrad is a consecutive sequence of four lunar eclipses, spaced
six months apart.

This eclipse marks the third in a series of four lunar eclipses in a
row, known as a "tetrad." The first in the series occurred on April 15,
2014, with the second in the tetrad of eclipses in September of 2014,
and the final will be September 28, 2015.

The lunar eclipse will be visible from all parts of the United States.
Eastern North America and western South America can see beginning
stages of the partial umbral eclipse low in the west before sunrise
April 4, whereas middle Asia (India, western China, mid-Asian Russia)
can view the ending stages of the partial umbral eclipse low in the east
after sunset April 4. Greenland, Iceland, Europe, Africa and the Middle
East won’t see this eclipse at al.. The total eclipse will last only five minutes.

For a total lunar eclipse to happen, the Moon must be full, which
means it is directly opposite the Sun, with Earth in between. The
eclipse happens when the Moon moves into the shadow cast by the Sun
shining on Earth. We don't have an eclipse every month because
sometimes the Moon is above the shadow, sometimes below.

During the eclipse, the Moon often looks reddish because sunlight has
passed through Earth's atmosphere, which filters out most of its blue
light. This eerie, harmless effect has earned the tongue-in-cheek
nickname "blood moon."

A telescope is not needed to view a lunar eclipse-- just find the Moon in the sky and enjoy.

A world map of eclipse visibility:

On April 4, NASA astronomer Mitzi Adams will take questions via
Twitter @NASA_Marshall. For Twitter questions, use the hashtag
#eclipse2015. The question and answer via twitter will begin at 6
a.m.EDT and continue through the end of the eclipse (approximately 8:00
a.m. EDT on April 4). Use this handy time conversion tool to convert to your local time. A live Ustream view of the lunar eclipse will be available here on April 4 starting at 6:00 a.m. EDT: ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc

Lunar Eclipse A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth casts a shadow that blocks
sunlight that normally reflects off of the moon. A total lunar eclipse
can only happen when the sun, Earth and moon are perfectly aligned.
During the time of total eclipse, the moon will often look reddish due
to red and orange light being scattered by the atmosphere. This eerie,
harmless effect has earned the tongue-in-cheek nickname "blood moon."

It will be one
of 8 tetrads during the 21st century AD.
As with all eclipses, it is probable that the moon will appear to be a
dark red color during the eclipse due to the refraction of sunlight
through the Earth's atmosphere. This is the same effect that causes
sunsets to appear red.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow). This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned (in "syzygy") exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes.

Unlike a solar eclipse,
which can only be viewed from a certain relatively small area of the
world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of
the Earth. A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas a total solar
eclipse lasts for only a few minutes at any given place, due to the
smaller size of the moon's shadow. Also unlike solar eclipses, lunar
eclipses are safe to view without any eye protection or special
precautions, as they are dimmer than the full moon.

Blood Moon Prophecy?

The Blood Moon Prophecy is an idea popularized by Christian pastors John Hagee and Mark Biltz that states the upcoming tetrad
(a series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, with six full moons
in between, and no intervening partial lunar eclipses) which begins
with the April 2014 lunar eclipse is a sign of significant things to come. Biltz believes that the Second Coming
will coincide with the final eclipse of the tetrad, while Hagee only
believes the eclipses are a sign of coming change in the course of
history for Israel.

The Blood Moon Prophecy has quickly gained attention on the Internet
after Biltz first proposed it in 2008, and has gained mainstream media
attention as the April 15, 2014 lunar eclipse has approached. Despite
the attention, few Christians believe the prophecy. It has been
criticized by both mainstream Christian sources and secular astronomy
blogs. Critics point out that tetrads that correspond with Jewish feasts
are not as rare as Hagee and Biltz imply, that the eclipses will not be
visible in Israel, and that the Bible also states it is impossible to
know when the Second Coming will occur.

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